Today’s a lot more than Friday the 13th

I love that, pretty much any day of the year, there’s something to celebrate. And today is especially rich in those sorts of somethings worth celebrating.

Who knew that October 13th is National No Bra Day? Who even knew this day existed?

Based on its name, you might think that this was a day that would hearken back to the 1960’s and 1970’s when, for some reason to do with women’s liberation that I can’t seem to recall (and probably couldn’t fathom even if were able to recall it), feminists often went without bras. I know that I did. Of course, it’s one thing to go bra-less when you’re in your twenties. quite another thing as life goes on. But even when I was in perky breast territory, I quickly found out that it wasn’t especially comfortable to go without a bra. I won’t get into the full deets, but I’ll throw one thing out there: you couldn’t wear anything the least bit scratchy. ‘Nuf said

For reasons of scratch, age, and propriety, I will not be going braless.

And while National No Bra Day is, in fact, a “day to leave your bra at home,” it’s mostly about reminding you to get a mammogram.

It’s also National Train Your Brain Day. Not a bad thing to observe, and I usually do something brain-train-ish every day.

There are many different ways to train your mind and improve your cognitive skills such as reading, word puzzles, number games, brain teasers, trivia games, riddles and word games.  Learning something new is another practice that is a benefit to everyone’s brain on National Train Your Brain Day (as well as any other day). (Source: National Day Calendar)

I will be doing a crossword puzzle and Sudoku. And finishing up Katy Tur’s Unbelievable, which recounts her time as the NBC reporter charged with following Donald Trump during the 2016 primaries and presidential campaign. (Katy Tur is a journalist that Trump bullied off and on, calling her a liar and encouraging his minions to turn on her. In one instance, she had to be escorted from a rally by the Secret Service.) The book is quite good, but also very painful. It should be something that you can breeze through in an evening, but I can only read a chapter or two at a time. I sure would be enjoying this a lot more if Trump had lost the election. Then again, if that had happened, I probably wouldn’t have bought it.

And it’s Navy Day, the day that the US Navy observes its birthday. I can thank the US Navy for my very existence, as my father met my mother when he was stationed in downtown Chicago (hey, there’s a lake out there, so of course the Navy was at Navy Pier) while in the Navy during WWII. Shortly after Pearl Harbor, my father volunteered to join the Army. (He was 29: it would have taken a while to get around to drafting him, but he wanted in.) Because Al had flat feet (thanks, Dad!),the Army wouldn’t take him. So he went over to the Navy recruiter and they signed him right up. Thus began 4 years, during which my father was stationed in Norfolk, Trinidad, and Chicago. As he used to say, you went where Uncle Sam sent you.

My father wasn’t any sort of gung ho’ Navy guy, but he was proud of his service, and there were remnants of the Navy all around. We had bookends, brass anchors, that my father had gotten during the war. (One of them is on my mantel.) Our picnic blanket/beach blanket was the cream colored (with navy stripe, stamped U.S. Navy) wool blanket that my father had been issued when he joined. I think we had two.

Other Navy stuff: My mother cut down my fathers old whites and blues to make clothing (white shorts, navy spring coats) for me and my sister Kath. And we wore his old white gob caps as summer headgear. These Navy caps were quite popular among kids in the fifties. After all, pretty much every kid’s father had been in The War in some capacity. Those of us whose fathers had been in the Navy had the real deal, but they sold cheap knock offs that kids whose fathers had been in the boring old Army had to settle for.

Sometimes we wore them turned up, as pictured here. Somewhere around, I’ve got a really cute picture of my sister Kath sporting one. But mostly we wore them turned down, bucket style. High Baby Boomer fashion!

Another Navy artifact in our house was my father’s Bluejacket’s Manual, the handbook for U.S. Navy personnel that everyone in the Navy is issued. I have no idea what was in it, as you couldn’t actually take a look. What this thick, hardcover book was used for was to prop up the broken leg of a twin bed in the girls’ room that had been broken when we were jumping back and forth between beds.

Finally, for some odd reason, it’s also National Yorkshire Pudding Day.

Not to be confused with a dessert, Yorkshire Pudding is a traditional English dish similar to a popover made from a batter and usually served with roast meat and gravy.

Sounds like something that could be really scrumptious or god-awful. But I won’t be confusing it with a dessert. And speaking of desserts, tomorrow is National Dessert Day. Now you’re talkin’…